Chapter 5
Translator: True Detective
Chapter 5 - Tremendous Acting Skills
The next day arrived.
I requested that both the commoner leadership and the nobles gather in the plaza of Livia.
It was to firmly imprint the fact that I had been dispatched as the 'Chancellor', the prince's proxy, and that ignoring me and clashing from now on would be an insult to the prince.
The nobles obediently followed my opinion.
The commoner leadership also expressed their intention to comply for now.
At noon that day, at the time when the sun rose the highest, the plaza was bustling.
In the VIP seats sat nobles who were half-wasted, as if they had been drinking heavily until yesterday, and in front of them were people who looked like the leadership of the commoners, with thousands of commoners behind them.
Among them, Saintess Azelia could also be seen.
Seeing the beautiful Saintess radiating shining white divine magic power amidst the gray-clad commoners, I thought it was understandable why the prince would fall hard for her.
No, now was not the time to be distracted by such strange things.
Step-! Step-! Step-!
"Th... those knights!?"
"It's the knight order directly under the Imperial Family!"
The Zeruel Knight Order, centered around Liesel, surrounded the podium I was to climb.
Under the intimidating presence of the Zeruel Knight Order, not only the commoners but even the nobles could not breathe properly.
And I slowly climbed up onto the podium.
"I am the Chancellor, Edric Noel, who came here under the command of His Highness the Prince."
My voice, amplified by a sound-amplifying magic tool, echoed through the plaza.
Was it because my voice was amplified?
It rang out fiercely as if it would tear the entire plaza apart.
"I have come here on behalf of His Highness the Prince! His Highness the Prince commanded me to realize justice and save the people who have fallen into misery!"
I drew the treasured sword 'Erpis' given to me by the prince.
A tremendous magic power erupted from the golden scabbard, and it felt like even the commoners who could not see magic were cowering as if they felt its momentum.
"I proclaim from this spot. Following the will of His Highness the Prince, I will conduct a thorough investigation and execute the fair law. Afterward, no matter who the lawbreaker is, regardless of whether they are a Count or a Duke, I will thoroughly judge them in the name of the empire and realize 'justice'!"
At Edric's words, hot tears gradually began to pool in the eyes of the commoners.
At first, they were terrified upon seeing Edric.
With red hair and snake-like eyes, he looked like a monster that would devour them at any moment.
But it was an illusion. They could feel a burning sense of hot justice in his heart.
"Until then, I will not tolerate any conflict. If you ignore my words and break the law of the empire, you will receive the judgment of I, Edric, on behalf of His Highness the Prince! Do you understand!"
Edric looked at the leadership of the nobles.
They, who had been swaggering thinking Edric was on their side, panicked and knelt down according to etiquette to answer.
"We will follow the will of His Highness the Prince."
Edric looked at the commoner leadership and the commoners.
Hundreds and thousands of commoners knelt down in unison and shouted.
"We will follow the will of His Highness the Prince!!"
When the two groups revealed their intention to accept Edric's will, only then did Edric put Erpis back into its scabbard.
And he quietly stepped down from the podium.
For a moment, silence flowed. And then, the voices of the commoners began to explode.
"Ooooh!!!!"
"Long live His Highness the Prince!"
"Long live Sir Edric!!"
The cheers of the commoners began to pierce the Southern sky.
The volume of those voices represented the suffering they had endured all this time.
They rejoiced in the hope that their suffering could now end.
However, the reactions of Wilhelm and the nobles, who were watching that scene from behind, were completely different.
They whispered while looking at Edric's back with a spine-chilling sense of awe.
"My goodness... look at those acting skills."
"Did he deceive His Highness the Prince like that to get his hands on power? What a truly terrifying snake."
"To capture the hearts of the commoners all at once like that... Just imagining how great their despair will be when he stabs them in the back later is enjoyable!"
Edric's remarks were statements that could cause tremendous displeasure.
Judging them regardless of whether they were a Count or a Duke; if it were them normally, they would have immediately risen up in revolt.
However, they had heard the story from Count Wilhelm just yesterday.
That Edric's scheme was to show a thoroughly fair execution to ensure there were no repercussions later.
Edric's words contained such power and a sense of justice that even they, who had heard the story, were almost mistaken.
The Southern nobles could not hide their admiration for Edric's acting skills.
Having returned to the inn, my tension released, and I threw myself onto the bed.
The speech in the plaza was truly a gamble.
In order to prevent any more major clashes while I was dispatched, there was a need to calm the commoners down.
However, declaring "I will judge you whether you are a Duke or a Count" to the nobles' faces was a burdensome task for me as well.
It was a situation where it wouldn't be strange if the Count immediately threw a fit at me, bringing up the bribes he fed my father.
But surprise, those arrogant Southern nobles were quiet as if they had made a promise.
'What is it? Was my spirit that amazing? Or were they scared by Erpis's magic power?'
I didn't know the reason, but a sense of relief washed over me at the fact that it passed without a major clash for now.
Since I declared I would execute things according to the law, all that was left was to gather evidence, throw a few guys in as an example, and roughly sort out the situation.
Then the princess would keep her mouth shut too, and I would return to the center to prepare for my dreamed-of exile... no, a quiet life.
But that night, the report from the 'Shadow Warriors' placed on my office desk miserably shattered my complacent expectations.
"...Is this all?"
"Yes, the nobles must have prepared truly thoroughly, as only this much was discovered."
I examined the documents investigated by the Shadow Warrior who appeared from the darkness.
Under the lamp, I skimmed down the contents one by one.
The evidence of the 70% tax collection was certain.
However, the nobles had already set up countermeasures.
[ Usury Interest due to Bad Harvests ]
After lending money at high interest to farmers whose lives became difficult during bad harvests, they pocketed both the taxes and the interest over a long period of time.
In other words, they ultimately pocketed a 70% tax, but commercially, they received a 40% tax and 30% interest, so it is barely not illegal.
[ Internal Investigation Conducted for Bookkeeping Errors ]
For some parts, they conducted internal investigations claiming they made bookkeeping errors and handed down punishments themselves.
In the end, it was them playing tricks among themselves, but since it was an action showing they were mindful of the center, even if they were prosecuted in the central court for this, their legal responsibility becomes very weak.
It's similar to getting a reduced sentence by writing a letter of apology in a modern court.
In other words, even if I try to strike down these nobles as things are, with the current level of evidence, it would only amount to a fine or a few months of probation at best.
Compared to the astronomical amount of bribes they had siphoned off, it wouldn't even be a slap on the wrist.
On top of that, if I ended it like this, the moment I returned to the center, it was obvious they would trample the commoners even more harshly as if retaliating.
"Haa... Damn bastards... They're not ordinary folks."
The back of my neck felt stiff. This won't do.
If I roughly just pretend to hit them, the South will definitely go crazy again as time passes, and the princess will throw a fit at me, so I will be dispatched to the South again.
A sure shot...
A 'decisive blow' to pull them out by their roots was needed.
"...As expected, is that the only way."
I closed my eyes and traced the contents of the original work [I Became a Barbarian in a Romance Fantasy].
The real reason the Southern nobles were ruined; it was not simple tax embezzlement.
They were plotting a dangerous conspiracy to the extent that tax embezzlement would be considered trivial.
That would burst in the distant future quite a while later, but right now, for me to clearly wrap up this situation, it was best to expose it.
And only one person held the 'spark' to expose it.
"Look here, is anyone outside?"
"Yes, Lord Edric."
At my call, the servant who had been waiting outside the door came in.
I commanded in a cold and inscrutable voice that was as Edric-like as possible.
"Tell Saintess Azelia. That His Highness the Prince's Chancellor, 'Edric Noel', is requesting a private meeting tonight, and that her power is needed for the peaceful future of the empire and the South."
"Yes, understood."
The servant who heard my words withdrew, and I looked at the dark Southern sky outside the window.
I didn't want to get involved with the characters of the original work if possible.
Because no one knows how the situation might twist and cause a butterfly effect.
But no matter how much I thought about it, her power was needed to resolve this situation.
Otherwise, the situation could twist several times more complicatedly than it is now.
For the stability of the South, and for my happy and peaceful future, I prayed that Azelia would please respond to my words.